April 16, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson (15) jumps to pass the ball as he is defended by New Orleans Hornets forward Al-Farouq Aminu (0) during the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Hornets win 75-67. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE

The Charlotte Bobcats preseason schedule has been released, and it features two home games that won’t be played in Charlotte.

The ‘Cats will take on Miami in Raleigh at PNC Arena in Raleigh NC, and they’ll face New Orleans at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston SC.

They open the preseason at home against Washington at 1pm on Oct. 7, then head to New Orleans for an 8pm matchup with the Hornets Oct. 9. They face ‘Nola in Charleston at 7:30 on the 11th, the Thunder in OKC at 8pm the 16th, and the Pistons in Detroit at 7:30 on the 20th. The Bobcats round out their preseason schedule with that game in Raleigh against Miami on the 23rd at 7pm, a home game against Milwaukee on the 25th at 11am and a trip to Dallas to play the Mavs at 8:30pm on the 26th.

It’ll be interesting to see Michael Kidd-Gilchrist go up against Anthony Davis in back-to-back games, and with a decently difficult schedule, fans will get an early look at how good, or bad, their Bobcats might be in 2012/13.

Yes, the Charlotte Bobcats did just finish the worst season in the history of the NBA.

Yes, the Charlotte Bobcats haven’t been very good (except for one year) since the team’s inception.

Yes, the Charlotte Bobcats will have a relatively inexperienced team and a roster filled out with many of the same players that made last year’s debacle possible

But, that doesn’t mean Charlotte can’t have high expectations for Mike Dunlap in his first year at the helm of the Bobcats.

Keep in mind that “high expectations” for the Bobcats don’t necessarily meet the standard for “high expectations” most every other team in the league.

The first thing Bobcats fans should expect from Mike Dunlap is for him to change the culture that pervaded Time Warner Cable Arena a year ago.

Lethargy, lack of hustle and boredom were the themes of the day almost every time the team took to the court last season.

This year, the themes will be hard work, determination, and excitement.

Which brings us to the next thing Bobcats fans should expect; Fun basketball.

Dunlap will install a fast paced offense tailored to Kemba Walker’s game, and the team will run that offense, and run next year. A lot. Expect more highlights in transition, more diving around and more points to be scored for the home team this season.

Finally, Bobcats fans can expect Dunlap to make Bismack Biyombo, Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeffrey Taylor better. He’s renowned in the basketball world for his ability to develop young players, and I expect those four guys to have good years. Gilchrist and Walker could have special rookie and sophomore seasons.

The season is months away, but there is already a different feeling in the collective thread that binds Bobcats fans together.

Which brings me to a completely unrelated thing to expect at TWC Arena next season… Energy in the stands.

Apr 26, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson (15) drives to the basket during the second half against the New York Knicks at Time Warner Cable Arena. The New York Knicks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 104-84. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

There is no simple answer to the question posed in the headline of this article. The Charlotte Bobcats were awful last year, and there’s no way they won’t be better next year.

They added established veteran players to a young roster this off season, with Ramon Sessions, and Ben Gordon likely coming off the bench for good stretches of the game, and Brendan Haywood basically the undisputed starting center.

The Bobcats also added two great rookies via the draft. The youngest player drafted, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, was brought in to change the culture inside Time Warner Cable Arena, and Jeffrey Taylor was added to be a serviceable backup at the shooting guard and small forward positions, as well as a knock down shooter and lock down defender.

Statistically, those five players should put the Bobcats well ahead of their pathetic win percentage of a year ago.

Basketball-Reference.com has a stat which tries to estimate the number of wins contributed by a player throughout the season. It’s called win-share.

Using that stat, it’s impossible to argue that Charlotte didn’t upgrade at every single position (except power forward) this off season.

Brendan Haywood blows all of Charlotte’s bigs out of the water on win-share. His 2.7 win-share is 1.1 points higher than the Bobcats starting center most of last season, Bismack Biyombo.

Ramon Sessions had a much higher win-share than D.J. Augustin and Kemba Wakler put together. The comparison is 1.9 to 0.8.  

Ben Gordon and Gerald Henderson were pretty close in that category, with Gordon tallying a 1.7 and Hendo a 1.0.

Kidd-Gilchrist had a 6.3 win-share in his only year at Kentucky, and Taylor a 5.2 in his last year at Vanderbilt.

As rookies, their combined production at the small forward spot should easily surpass Corey Maggette’s 0.7 from last season.

Those rookies really hold the answer to that question: How much better can the Charlotte Bobcats be next year?

If the two could even combine to put together a win-share equal to MKG’s from college, the Bobcats might be far better than people think they can be next season. Not playoff better, but not 20 loss bad either.

May 19, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (0) guards Los Angeles Lakers point guard Ramon Sessions (7) in the second half of game four in the Western Conference semi finals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the Staples Center. Thunder won 103-100. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Since there’s really no “must have” free agent left on the market, I feel like it’s finally OK to grade the Charlotte Bobcats off season.

It all started with a trade that I, nor anyone really, never saw coming. Corey Maggette, coming off a terrible, injury plagued season, for Ben Gordon AND a future first round draft pick. Gordon can still shoot, he can still score, and he’ll likely be asked to do it coming off the bench, so his age isn’t really a problem for Charlotte.

Then there was the trade that never happened. Everyone, including me, thought Charlotte was going to deal the second pick in the draft for something… anything, really. The Cavs #4 and 24, the outside shot at James Harden, and all the other rumors thrown around were viable deals. Instead, Charlotte held pat, and made their pick.

TRADES: A

After deciding to keep their pick, Charlotte drafted Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a great defender with the skills to become a potent slasher and deadly finisher in transition on offense. Then, they picked Jeffrey Taylor, who I was calling a steal even before the draft started. Taylor might have been the third best defender in the draft behind Anthony Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist. He’s also become a very good shooter, he has a solid all-around game, and he can play two positions on offense and guard four positions on defense.

Some people think you should always draft talent, and others say you should draft need. Charlotte did both this year.

DRAFT: A+

After the draft, all attention turned to free agency. The Bobcats let D.J. Augustin and D.J. White walk, and they brought in Ramon Sessions and Brendan Haywood. Combined with Gordon, Kidd-Gilchrist and Taylor, those two additions almost solidified a two-deep rotation.

Although Sessions will most likely be a back-up to Kemba Walker, the Myrtle Beach graduate will see plenty of time, and he adds height to Charlotte’s historically short back-court. Haywood is the Bobcats starter at center.

To me, though, this free agent period was about who Charlotte failed to land. They had their eyes on plenty of very good power forwards and couldn’t get a single one of them.

Antwan Jamison chose the Lakers over them, the ‘Cats couldn’t land J.J. Hickson, Carl Landry signed with the Warriors and the team either failed to bid on or didn’t bid enough for Elton Brand or Luis Scola.

Since they could’ve filled all their needs through free agency and didn’t, I have to grade them as above average.

FREE AGENCY: C+

Overall, the Bobcats almost built a completely new roster. They have new faces at every position… except power forward. The position will probably be a platoon between several players, including Tyrus Thomas (blehhh), Byron Mullens (love him off the bench, throw up when he’s in the starting lineup) and even Bismack Biyombo (really think he needs to stay at the center position).

Charlotte would not have been a playoff contender if they landed any of those free agents, but they would have been much more competitive heading into the season. It would’ve been nice to know that they were doing all they could to revamp the roster at every position after a 2012 season that many pundits say the ‘Cats tanked.

If they would’ve landed anyone better than the three guys they already have at power forward, I would’ve given the Charlotte Bobcats an A for their work this off season. Instead:

Overall: B

Before we get to the heart of this post (Charlotte’s desperate need for individual improvement there’s a pressing matter that needs to be discussed; Carl Landry. Landry is reportedly looking for the richest deal possible, and the Bobcats and Warriors are the two teams willing to offer him such a deal. The ‘Cats would have to work a sign and trade involving Gana Diop.

Now, onto the matter at hand. The Bobcats haven’t done enough through the draft and free agency to be competitive next year. But that’s not their fault, Charlotte’s roster was so pitiful last season there was really no way they could get immediately better in the short term. But, if these key players improve in these key areas, the Queen City might just field a competitive basketball team next season.

Kemba Walker: scoring at the rim. He gets there often enough, but he converts so rarely that his shooting percentage doesn’t reflect the number of easy opportunities he gives himself.

Gerald Henderson: 3-point shooting. Hendo is very athletic, but not many defender respect his outside shot. If he makes players guard him closer, he’ll be able to use his athletic ability to blow by them and get to the rim.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: jump shooting. Forget threes. If MKG can develope a somewhat consistent elbow jumper, he could easily average 15+ ppg next season.

Byron Mullens: Post offense. Whether or not he makes enough threes to justify his belief that he’s a shooter will have little effect on Charlotte’s play this year. If Mullens can score 4-6 points a game off post moves, it’ll be great for the Bobcats spacing offensively.

Bismack Biyombo: 1-on-1 defense. He’s nowhere near being a good offensive player, but if Biyombo learns to stay on his feet defensiviley, fewer points will be scored off opponent pump fakes.

Ramon Sessions and Brandon Haywood should work on their conditioning, because Mike Dunlap is going to run this team till it can’t run any more… And then run it some more. Jeffrey Taylor could do better to work on becoming a more consistent player, Tyrus Thomas should just force himself to be power forward and nothing else, and Diop and Matt Carroll should be working on techniques to keep their butts from going numb while riding the bench this year.

April 26, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Antawn Jamison (4) is defended by Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) during the second half at the United Center. The Bulls beat the Cavaliers 107-75. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

As Roberto Gato pointed out last night, Antawn Jamison has reportedly decided to play for the Los Angeles Lakers instead of the Charlotte Bobcats next season.

Bobcats beat writer Rick Bonnell, who was the first person I saw to tweet Jamison’s decision, wrote a great story for the Charlotte Observer about the dynamic developing between Kemba Walker and Mike Dunlap:

“Most everything concerning the Bobcats’ revamped offense involves early-possession efforts to attack the rim. That was Walker’s forte when he led the Huskies to the national championship in 2011.”

Michael Jordan told ESPN.com that last season was the hardest he ever went through:

“‘Obviously, I’m a competitor, and I never want to be in the record books for failure,’ said the six-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer.

He vows that better times are ahead for the Bobcats.”

Bonnell wrote another great story about the Charlotte Bobcats, and how they’re going to use some zone defense next season:

“The NBA loosened up its illegal defense rules a while back, freeing teams to play more zone principles. Most teams use some zone, none more than the Dallas Mavericks did in their championship run two years ago.”

The Bobcats play their thrid Summer League game tonight around 10:30pm, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is expected to play after fully participating in practices yesterday.

April 20, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats head coach Paul Silas talks to guard Kemba Walker (1) forward Derrick Brown (4) center Byron Mullens (22) and guard Gerald Henderson (15) during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Time Warner Cable Arena. Grizzlies win 85-80. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s summer league. I get it. But you know what? These past two Charlotte Bobcats games have been fun.

First they blow out the Kings, behind a great performance from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. And then Sunday Night happened.

Full disclosure: I didn’t get to watch the game. I was sitting at a gift shop in Myrtle Beach, working. But I did follow the entire thing through a combination of Twitter and NBA.com… So here’s how the final moments of the Bobcats 68-64 win over the Cavs looked to me.

Its not looking good down by 6 with 2 mins left

— SportsFromMyEyes(@JTyree704) July 16, 2012

Byron Mullens slaps back Tyler Zeller’s layup.

— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) July 16, 2012

Tie game ! with 1 min left 62 all

— SportsFromMyEyes(@JTyree704) July 16, 2012

Bobcats have displayed a furious rally in last 3 minutes and now Kemba has 2 foul shots to give Charlotte the lead.

— Spencer Percy (@QCsportscrave) July 16, 2012

Bobcats take first lead with 32 seconds left on Kemba FT

— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) July 16, 2012

Waiters with the deep 2P and the Cavs have regained lead 64-63. TO Bobcats. Dunlap will setup last play with 12.8 sec remaining.

— Spencer Percy (@QCsportscrave) July 16, 2012

Kemba replies with a drive. Bobcats up one with 6 secs left

— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) July 16, 2012

Trap forces TO Cavs didn’t have. Bobcats get free throw, up one, with 3.9 secs and ball. Kemba makes

— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) July 16, 2012

No TO’s Not Smart Waiters Kemba to the line for 2 Kemba makes both ball game 68-64 Bobcats !

— SportsFromMyEyes(@JTyree704) July 16, 2012

Great Win for us Bobcats! We have a Great coach. 2-0

— Mike Kidd-Gilchrist (@MikeGillie14) July 16, 2012

Again, I can’t stress this enough, Charlotte shot, like, 1 percent from the field in the first quarter (exaggeration? maybe). The Bobcats defense kept them in this game, and some clutch buckets late sealed the deal.

I doubt Dunlap is going to employ much full court press in the regular season, but the ball-hounding mentality he’s driving into his players this summer won’t soon be forgotten.

Kemba Walker led the way for Charlotte with 13 points on 14 shots (9-11 on free-throws, though), Jeffrey Taylor scored 12 points on 15 shots, but also grabbed seven rebounds, and Byron Mullens dropped nine points on 17 shots. He did have two blocks and eight boards, though.

The Bobcats forced 21 turnovers and only gave the ball away 11 times. They also held the Cavs to 37.5 percent shooting, even though they were shooting well above 40 percent at half time.

Yeah, it’s summer league. But, right now, Charlotte Bobcats basketball is fun to watch.

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky), right, is introduced as the number two overall pick to the Charlotte Bobcats by NBA commissioner David Stern during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The headline of this post might be a little misleading… You see, the Charlotte Bobcats announced their departure for Las Vegas to participate in the NBA summer league, but the team hasn’t issued a roster yet.

The best list I found came from a tweet @Bobcats sent out, but the only guys they mentioned were Kemba Walker, Bismack Biyombo, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Corey Higgins and Jeffrey Taylor. For what it’s worth I couldn’t find any of their names on NBA.com’s list of players taking part in the 2012 summer league.

So. According to that list, Charlotte has a pretty good group of young guys who will benefit from playing in Vegas this summer. I’m interested to see how much Walker has improved on finishing at the rim, if Biyombo will still bite on 95 percent of pump-fakes, and if Kidd-Gilchrist tries to prove his doubters wrong by taking ill-advised threes. One thing I know is this: Mike Dunlap’s high-tempo offense will benefit all of those guys, and the head coach will treat these games like mid-season contests.

What I’m most interested to see is how Jeffrey Taylor performs. I really believe he has a long future ahead of him in this league and he could be a 10 point, 4 rebound guy (not to mention the team’s first or second best defender) off the bench for Charlotte as soon as next season.

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky), right, is introduced as the number two overall pick to the Charlotte Bobcats by NBA commissioner David Stern during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The Charlotte Bobcats inked their first round draft pick to a four year deal worth around $18 million.

With the new CBA, it wasn’t a surprise to see him sign so quickly, and now Charlotte can turn its attention getting a deal done with second round pick Jeffrey Taylor.

Both players should be on the Bobcats summer roster, and it’ll be fun to see how well they do.

Speaking of the summer league, the NBA announced its schedule recently. Here are the Bobcats games:

July 13 at 10:00 pm vs Sacramento

July 15 at 8:30 pm vs Cleveland

July 17 at 10:30 pm vs Minnesota

July 19 at 10:30 pm vs Denver

July 20 at 6:30 pm vs Memphis

Those games are subject to change and I converted the times into Eastern Standard.

The Summer League might not be a great gauge of how good a team will be, but its not a bad way to figure out how good rookies can do in their first season.

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky) walks off the stage after being introduced as the number two overall pick to the Charlotte Bobcats during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The Charlotte Bobcats selection of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was widely hailed as the first good draft choice Michael Jordan or a team associated with him as an owner/executive has made in a long time.

But Ryan Feldman of ESPN’s True Hoop doesn’t think the pick made sense.

Feldman says “the Bobcats needed offense” and cited their last place standing in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and points per play on jumpshots as proof.

Sure the Bobcats could’ve went with an offensive minded player like Bradley Beal, and that pick wouldn’t have been a bad one.

BUT, if they did go with Beal, Feldman would’ve come out with an article saying Beal doesn’t make sense for Charlotte either.

He would’ve probably cited Charlotte’s last place standing in defensive ranking (points produced allowed per 100 possessions),  their next-to-last ranking in opponents field goal percentage, and their next-to-last ranking in steals as proof.

The last time (only time) the Bobcats made the playoffs, they did it on the strength of their defense, and the next time they make the playoffs it’ll be in a similar fashion.